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Sunday, February 6, 2011

Crock pot creamy Northern Beans and Ham with a hint of sweetness from brown sugar.

Good morning everyone and Happy Super Bowl Sunday!!! Before I start preparing some yummy super bowl eats at my house, first things first. Last week Texas received lots of ice and then snow. Hard to believe we got both in the same week.This is the first time that I can remember that school was closed for 4 days in a row. All I can say is I'm glad all that stuff is finally melted cause baby it was cold outside. We stayed indoors for the most part and only ventured out a few times for milk and few essentials.

We enjoyed lots of tummy warming meals, soups, beans and oatmeal for breakfast.

I had posted on face book that I had a big crock pot full of Northern Beans & Hamcooking for dinner. A few folks wanted the recipe, but I was working on getting my my super bowl recipes posted, so I apologize for the delay on getting this recipe up on the blog.

Nothing warms you up better than a big bowl of beans and cornbread. I grew up eating many of pots of beans. Most likely because they were very cheap and they could feed a crowd. I've always loved the convenience of canned beans, but for some recipes they just don't work.

If you want beans that simmer all day long on the stove or crock pot, then you need to use dried beans. Pinto Beans have been my bean of choice for a very long time but over the last couple years, I've been leaning more towards Northern Beans.

I think it is because I love the creaminess of the Northern Beans. Plus it is such a nice change from pinto beans. When I make a big pot of beans I use my crock pot for slow cooking. I also try and use ham shanks because they release such great flavor. Ham shanks are also very meaty.

They can be hard to find, but most times I can find them at Walmart. Usually when I see them I stock up and place a few packages in the freezer. If you cannot locate shanks then ham hocks or ham will work just as well. I also add a bit of brown sugar into my beans. Don't ask me why, it just makes them taste so good.

I have seen some folks use molasses but I prefer brown sugar. Don't worry it's not a huge amount, just enough to give them a good flavor.Well there you have it my simple version of Northern Beans and Ham. I hope you will give this recipe a try. In usual fashion I have included some step by step photos. The full recipe is at the end of this post.

Start by sorting the beans for any pebbles and rinse them under cold water. Soak the beans for 3 hours in a large bowl. Drain and rinse the beans. Add the the rinsed beans, onion, salt, pepper, and ham shanks, hocks or ham (chopped into large chunks) into the crock pot.

Add enough water to cover the beans by about 2 inches. (about 6 - 8 cups) Cover and cook on high for the first hour then turn the crock pot to low and cook for an additional 4 hours or until the beans are tender and a bit creamy.

Remove the ham shanks or hocks and pull off all of the meat. Return the meat to the crock pot and add the brown sugar. Sometimes I remove about a cup of the bean juice before adding the brown sugar. It's all up to you and how much water has cooked down with the beans.

Look at all that ham I got off those meaty ham shanks. Yum! Ladle into bowls and serve with a wedge of cornbread and enjoy.

Sort the beans for any pebbles and rinse them under cold water. Soak the beans for 3 hours in a large bowl. Drain and rinse the beans. Add the the rinsed beans, onion, salt, pepper, and ham shanks, hocks or ham (chopped into large chunks) into the crock pot.

Add enough water or water and broth to cover the beans by about 2 inches. (about 6 - 8 cups) add the goya ham concentrate if using. Cover and cook on high for the first hour then turn the crock pot to low and cook for an additional 4 hours or until the beans are tender and a bit creamy.

Remove the ham shanks or hocks and pull off all of the meat. Return the meat to the crock pot and add the brown sugar. If there is a lot of juice in the cooked beans I will remove about a cup of the juice before adding the brown sugar. It all depends on how thick or thin you want the beans. Lightly mix to combine. Ladle in to bowls and serve.

Cooks Note: Keep in mind that EVERY Crock pot is DIFFERENT. I have 3 crock pots and they all cook differently some hotter than others and some quicker than others, so the timing will be longer or shorter. I don't soak my northern beans before cooking because they cook tender after 5 hours of cooking in MY crock pot. Several readers were stating the beans were still not tender after 5 hours of cooking, so I have added to soak the beans prior to cooking in the recipe.

We had a major malfunction with the linky tools. They are now charging to use their services. My account was waiting to be credited. Until it was the linky tools were inactive. They just went to a pay program today. It should be back up and running now.

Thanks for hosting this. I love, love, love your blog! I found my favorite cake recipe on your blog - The German Chocolate Cheesecake recipe. Oh mylanta! To die for. I introduced it to my mom and we are addicts! Thanks for your great blog! I linked up my Baked Cake Donuts recipe.

I made this last night and even my kids who typically don't like beans (well, okay, not ALL of them) really liked this! I loved it! I couldn't believe how soft the beans were without all the soaking and all. Yum!

I was craving some old fashioned ham and beans, and your crock pot recipe is perfect! Easy, cooks all day so I come home to a delicious, ready to eat meal! Your recipe was by far the best after an extensive online search. Thank you.

I have plans to start making this in the morning. Just one question. I often have a difficult time getting the salt and pepper right in recipes...so could you please tell me how much you put in this recipe?I hope you see this soon. Thank you so much. I've just discovered your blog and I'm having a fun time looking around. I made your mandarin orange cake tonight...wonderful!!

Grandma Honey, I just sprinkle a thin layer of each over the top and then stir. From there, people can add more to their serving if they prefer. Ham can be kind of salty so be careful and don't add to much.

Chicken Broth is a nice addition. I may go half broth half water next time. Thanks for the tip.

This is one of my favorite meals. I've always used Great Northern Beans. I've never used or seen brown sugar added but, I have used half chicken broth and half water and also add approx. 1 teaspoon of Frank's Red Hot Sauce to mine for a little more flavor.

Another hint about finding the ham shanks is to go to HoneyBaked Ham store or Heavenly Ham if you have either close to you. They have very good ham shanks for sale and they still have a large amount of ham left on them. I LOVE buying from them and they aren't that costly.

I'm going to try your recipe though. I've never made this in the crockpot so the next time will be. Thank you.

We had these beans for supper tonight and Ohh my! These were awesome! Seriously the best beans I have had in a long, long time.

For the salt measurement, I added 1 tbsp of table salt when I started cooking these beans. About an hour before the beans were done, I tasted and added right at another (just 1) tablespoon of table salt. It wasn't too salty or anything... beans were awesome and this will be how I make them from now on! Thank you for posting this recipe :D

Hi there, tried this and used Cannelli beans from Whole Foods, used their quick soak method, put on low for 8 hours and the beans weren't close to done, how did I mess up?? thanks for the great recipe idea's!

Hello there! Greetings from Sunny San Antonio, TX!!I just made this beans today on crockpot. I fogot the sugar at the end... ooopss! They took 10 hours on low... so i took some of the water off and reserved it for somer rice tomorrow. Then I took out about a cup of rice and put it in blender to make it creamy. Then I shredded the meat. SErved it with garlic bread and ginger ale. It was perfecto! seasoned it with little salt, since ham has laready too much sodium and my hubby has HBP. I am not fan of beans and was thinking on making myself a sandwich but I tried it after my husband was giving me so many complements, that he convince me. It is gr8! Then his younger grandson (11) came over (they live in same property) and had some and loved 'em too. Therefore, I will say GRACIAS very much for this easy and delicious recipe. I will folow your blog from now on! Thank you again!

I can't begin to tell you how thrilled I am at the results of this recipe. I've always been afraid of cooking with beans. My mother never did, said it was too much bother. Well, I can't wait to serve this wonderful soup to her. I had no idea it could be so simple and with such great results. Thank you so much for sharing these recipes and giving me the courage to try things that used to intimidate me.

Hello, love this recipe, I have made it twice, the first time I used the low setting, the beans were no where near done at the alloted, the second time I use the high setting, until they were done. There is a huge amount of flavor in this recipe, I did use the brown sugar and it adds "a little something" I think a tad bit more richness, but nothing that says "sweet'. I true keeper. Thank you. Jo

Great recipe! We made it once a few weeks ago & are making it again today. We are cutting the sugar down to 2 tablespoons this time and omitting salt (there's already an insane amount of sodium in the ham shanks!). Next time we will use Lima beans... Love limas! This recipe is seriously like crack.... SO delicious. My husband & I ate on our first batch all evening while we were brewing beer.. It's incredible!

Thank you so much for the recipe! I grew up on this very same thing (w/the Northern Beans) & haven't made them in ages...so i kinda forgot how! lol I've lived all over & found many Southern folks grew up on pinto beans & ham - & more Northern folks the Northern Beans (go figure hahaha) & cornbread MUST have cornbread!

When I was little, Dad couldn't get me to eat them (he was feeding 3 kids without a mom so as you said, it was a great meal - inexpensive, filling & good!)...so he added a little bit of ketchup to my bowl. I loved it then & can't seem to stop myself from adding alittle even now. It just adds such a great flavor!!

I love the recipe, but the time is off as some have already posted. I didn't 'soak' the beans, but I did rinse them really good and drain them.They have been in the crockpot since 4pm and it is now almost 1 am, and I feel that they need more cooking time. I even did them on high for the first two hours, but I think they should probably cook all day seriously

Anonymous, Every crock pot cooks differently. Some hotter and some faster than others. Mine takes the time I have listed using my crock pot. The only thing I can advise is soak the beans first to soften them. Then cook as directed. Keep in mind they will cook a lot faster once soaked. It's also noted that I start my crock pot out on high for the first 2 hours then lower the temp to low for the remaining 4 hours.

This is my favorite ham & beans recipe. It is easy and fast. I do usually add extra cubed ham--just to satisfy my meat-loving husband. Thank heavens for Pinterest so I can find this when I am ready for this good soup! Thank you!!

The crock pot is the most amazing invention ever! Personally I hate to cook... ya just pick your fav combo of meat potatos veggies beans.... whatever you like add some seasoning then come back 6-8 hours later and you have a meal. Right now I have a beef roast with some sweet potatoes and baby onions cooking for tomorrow and it smells amazing!

Silly question.... but I have the same 3-in-1 slow cooker that's in your picture! What size crock did you use for this recipe? It seems I always choose one that is unnecessarily too big and harder to manage/clean :( Will definitely be making this tomorrow night!!

I saw your northern bean and ham recipe, I was wondering if recipe will still come out good, if you don't use salt or just use pinch of salt ? my friend is on low intake salt diet, his blood pressure was in stroke level zone

Just cooked these tonight... first time in my life I've prepared Great Northern Beans. Huge success!!

I lucked out and found some smoked pork neck bones at my store. I also soaked my beans overnight before I read your notes, so I had to experiment with the cooking time a little bit. I had refrigerated the crock before I left for work so my wife could just throw it on. We did an hour on high, then three hours on low. Not done! Cooked on high for another hour, then on low for another two and a half hours or so. Perfect! They were so good I decided not to add the brown sugar. I can't believe they turned out so well! Definitely going on the recipe card hall of fame. Thanks!

That would of been about right. The recipe says: Cook on high for the first 2 hours then turn to low and continue cooking for 4 - 5 hours. Everyone also needs to keep in mind that EVERY Crock pot is DIFFERENT. I have 3 crock pots and they all cook differently some hotter than others and some quicker than others, so the timing will be longer or shorter.

Made these earlier in the week for the first time. Followed the recipe exactly. Well, almost, I only had sliced ham from a whole cooked ham, so I used that, but everything else the same. I thought these were great! DH thought they were OK, but I didn't expect him to love them anyway. One kid tried them and didn't like them, and the other kid wouldn't go near them...not surprised at either, but I thought I'd try, lol.

I asked DH if this was something he'd eat again, and he said yes, but it "needs something". Any thoughts? I think I will cut down just a tiny bit on the sugar, maybe something more savory? Or another ingredient to add to it?

I just made this crock pot northern beans and ham receipts for dinner last night. It was DELICIOUS. I've made northern beans on the stove top many times before but the crock pot just seems to make a difference. I thought putting brown sugar in the recipe sounded kind of weird, as I had never used that before. It took the beans over the top. The flavor was SENSATIONAL and made all the difference. Fabulous receipe and will make it often!

For some reason white beans take longer to cook than pintos. The last day of our camping trip we have an early crockpot dinner. Everybody fixes something in the crockpot. I use the crockpot liners which are wonderful. I put my beans on the night before on low and will turn on high in the morning if not softening up. I love beans in a crockpot this is the way I fix mine with a ham hock. Great flavor and I use ketchup on my white beans. Thanks for sharing. My mouth is watering now.. : )

Love the recipe, have had many people say they would like the recipe. I recently lost mine so I stopped back by to print again. My question is I thought the first time I printed it, at the bottom it stated you do not soak beans overnight, that you cook right out of the bag. Has this changed? Should I be soaking overnight first? I have followed recipe and cook right out of the bag without any problems in the past. Just wondering which is the preferred method?

I'm making this recipe right now. I've enjoyed this with a batch of fresh-baked Cornbread for most of my life. It's a wonderful side dish which my beloved Grandmother used to make. I've loved it ever since. Thank you for sharing your precious recipe with us. It really brightens my day and warms my heart.

connieCooked my soup with a ham hock, got a big one but made the mistake of wanting extra broth, so I doubled the amount of water I used. Now the soup is done only my flavor is weak, how can I fix it. I know I should of used more ham hock if I added more water, but I only know it now because my soup is weak in flavor. Can you help me please.

Anonymous, that part was added in the cooks note not the RECIPE! I never soak my northern beans because they cook up just fine for me in my crock pot. Other readers were stating that the beans are still hard after 5 hours of cooking so in the RECIPE it states to soak the beans. Every crock pot is different some cooker faster and at a higher temp than others.

I am wondering if I stop at the point after soaking and place in the freezer with Ham and all other ingredients (except water)... would I just be able to place in the crockpot and then add water and start?

This was a hit! I made it just as you said except I used navy beans as that's what I had. Also, I did not soak them, I followed the recipe except I cooked on high for 4 hours and they turned out soft. The brown sugar is a must! Thanks!

I have been making this dish for several years and my family loves it!! The only thing I do different is to saute the onions (and garlic that I add) before putting this into the crockpot. Then I use chicken broth instead of water.....And I do soak the beans overnight. The brown sugar is definitely the "secret ingredient" - do not leave it out! Thank you for a delicious recipe that smells so wonderful while it is cooking and tastes great.

I made for first time today and could not believe how good it came out. And soooo easy in the crockpot. I did not use sugar, but did add 1/4 tsp ground cloves. Put it in with diced onion, rinsed northern beans and water with a ham with bone in. Made fresh cornbread and strawberry shortcake for dessert. Hubby LOVED the nice dinner.

I tried this recipe this morning. Amazing! I did not soak the beans overnight Instead, to speed things up, I microwaved Navy beans for about 7 minutes (covered with water of course), then drained, rinsed, and cooked in the crock pot. They were done in about 3 hours. Adding brown sugar really makes a difference, too. Yummy!

To those that are having their beans not get tender, if you would wait till about 1/2 hour before they're done to add the salt it will help tremendously. I know adding to pintos at the start will stop them from being tender.